Voter s compartment and shelf



(No Model.)

. A. A. HINKLEY & J. S. WELCH.

VOTERS GOMPARTMENT AND SHELF.

Patented Aug. 16, 1892.

WITNE' SSESH lNvENTu s AMun-LCLOV UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

AARON A. HINKLEY, OF LAKEVILLE, AND JOHN S. \VELCH, OF LYNN,

MASSACHUSETTS. A

VOTERS C'OMPARTMENT AND SHELF.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 480,925, dated August 16, 1892. Application filed April 3, 1890. Serial No. 346.445. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, AARON A. HINKLEY, a resident of Lakeville, in the county of Plymouth, and JOHN S. WELCH, a resident of Lynn, in the county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Voters Compartments and Shelves, of which the following is a full, clear, and eX act description.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure l is a plan view of a single and Fig. 2 is a plan view of a series of compartments and shelves of this invention. Fig. 3 is a front elevation, Fig. 1. Figs. 4 and 5 are Vertical sections, lines 4 4 and 5 5, Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional View, and Fig. 7 is a plan view, of modifications, as hereinafter appear. Fig. 8 is a plan view of a series of compartments and shelves arranged about a common center and embracing other features, as will hereinafter appear; and Fig. 9 is an enlarged elevation in part of Fig. 8.

111i the drawings, A A A represent the three wa s.

B, B B and B are the four posts, and C is the shelf on the wall A and severally constituting a voters compartment and shelf of this invention. The Walls, posts, and shelves may be made of wood or other suitable material. Each post has a foot or base B suitable for its rest on a floor, and the walls of each compartment are attached to the posts by tubular sleeves D, so as to swing thereon, and preferably, as shown, the walls embrace only the upper portion of the posts, and the walls being swung into position at right angles they, with the posts, form a complete compartment, which is open only at one side E opposite to the wall A on which the shelf is located. The walls opened out, as stated, are supported on the posts and the posts on the floor, and so with the shelf in position plainly a voters compartment and shelf are secured. By swinging the walls on the posts they can be compactly placed one upon another for being stored, the shelf having been previously disposed of to allow thereof, as now to be described.

As shown, Fig. 4, the shelf at its upper edge is hinged to its wall A of the. compartment and so is capable of being swung into position for use and out of position and against the Wall and in position for use so, supported by a prop F, hinged at its lower end to the wall to be swung into engagement at its upper end with a notch in the shelf, and thereby to support the shelf in position for use. Again, as shown, Fig. 5, the wall A is provided with an inclining cleat a and the opposite wall A similarly provided, but not shown, for the rest of each end of the shelf, and the shelf at the central portion of its upper edge and the compartment-wall A are relatively adapted to be engaged with each other-as, for illustration, by means of a vertical pintle or pintles b on the shelf entered into a vertical socket block or blocks d of the wall A In both attachments 0f the shelf, as described, obviously, Fig. 4, the shelf can be folded against the wall A of the compartment, and, Fig. 5, detached from said wall, all as is plain, enabling the shelf to be compactly stored away.

Voters compartments and shelves such as above described may be arranged together and in a series, Fig. 2, so as to face alternately in opposite directions and have either flat walls, Fig. 2, or curving walls, Fig. 7.

F, Fig. 4, is an inking-pad secured on the shelf, and G is a stamp-head with handle H for use in stamping the votes, as required, and by which with a chain H the stamp-head is hung on the wall A of the compartment in suitable position for use.

J J are wings at opposite edges of the entrance-openingE of a compartment and each hinged to the wall of the compartment, forming said edge to be opened out from the walls A A respectively, or closed thereon, and opened out to serve as guards to protect the occupant of one compartment from being observed by the occupant of the adjoining compartments or otherwise, and this is more particularly advantageous when the compartments are arranged in a series all opening on the same side and when singly located.

Compartments and shelves substantially as described can be arranged in a series about a common center, Figs. 8 and 9. In this case the inner central portion mayhave translucent sides K and alamp L placed within the chamber formed by them, whereby to light the several compartments about the common center.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A voters compartment constructed of partitions or walls and open at one side and corner-posts on which said partitionsare hung and each having a foot or base and severally adapted-to be folded together and opened from each other, in combination with a shelf within and a guard or guards at the open side of and held on the compartment and severally adapted to be placed into and out of position for use, substantially as described, for the purposes specified.

2. A series of voters compartments constructed of partitions or walls and each open at one side and cornerposts on which said partitions are hung and each having a foot or base and said partitions and posts of the series of compartments adapted to be folded together and opened from each other, in combi- 2 5 substantially as described, for the purposes 30 specified.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AARON AJHINKLEY. JOHN s. WELCH.

Witnesses:

ALBERT W. BROWN, FRANCES M. BROWN. 

